From the Lowcountry hurricane coast to the Blue Ridge foothills. Latest ASCE 7-22 pressures, AAMA-rated product checks, permit-ready Engineering Reports. Enter any SC ZIP for its design wind speed.
Free wind speed lookup · every SC ZIP, coast to Upstate.
South Carolina does not have one wind number. The Lowcountry coast — Charleston, Beaufort, the Sea Islands — sits in the hurricane band. The Midlands around Columbia settle inland. The Upstate foothills are ruled by ridge topography.
A coastal default over-designs a Greenville warehouse. An inland default under-designs a Folly Beach roof. The calculator resolves the exact ASCE 7-22 value for your ZIP, plus exposure and county.
Risk Category II reference bands under ASCE 7-22. Pull the exact ZIP-level value from the calculator above.
| Region / county | Risk Cat II | SC note |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston metro Coast | 140–150 mph | Peninsula 29401/29403 + barrier islands at the top; west of I-526 steps down |
| Beaufort — Hilton Head Coast | 140–150 mph | Atlantic oceanfront triggers Exposure D; resort + insurance scrutiny |
| Horry — Myrtle Beach Coast | 140–150 mph | Grand Strand; Cat III triggers often on rental occupancy |
| Georgetown — Pawleys Coast | 140–150 mph | Murrells Inlet and Pawleys follow the Grand Strand band |
| Colleton / Jasper / Hampton | 125–140 mph | Edisto Beach high; transition zone moving inland toward I-95 |
| Midlands — Columbia | 110–120 mph | Richland, Lexington, Sumter, Aiken; Exposure C default |
| Pee Dee — Florence | 110–120 mph | Interior north-central SC along the I-95 corridor |
| Upstate — Greenville | 105–115 mph | Spartanburg, Anderson; check Kzt before assuming the base |
| Blue Ridge foothills | 105–115 mph + Kzt | Pickens/Oconee ridge + escarpment; Kzt can outweigh base speed |
These are ASCE 7-22 Risk Cat II bands. Your exact value turns on the ZIP, distance to open water, exposure, and risk category.
A Sullivan's Island lot and a Mount Pleasant lot west of I-526 can swing 5–10 mph. Pull the live number before designing.
On a coastal SC project, the worst corner zone sets the product spec.
Hurricane Hugo struck just north of Charleston on the night of September 21–22, 1989, a Category 4 with storm surge over 20 feet at Bull's Bay.
The rebuild reshaped how South Carolina writes code. The current SCBC traces straight back to those lessons.
WindLoadCalc runs the most current wind load standard — ASCE 7-22 — with four enclosure types and the reorganized Chapter 30 for C&C. It's the most up-to-date, conservative basis available for your design.
South Carolina building departments commonly reference an earlier ASCE 7 edition. Confirm the edition your local plan reviewer requires before submittal; designing to the latest ASCE 7-22 keeps you on the most current, conservative standard.
SC permit submittals above the residential exemption need a SC-licensed Professional Engineer to seal them.
WindLoadCalc builds the calculation package and per-opening schedule. PE sign-and-seal is available in all 50 states, including South Carolina, through the firm's PE network.
We pin the county and seed the ASCE 7-22 wind speed for that location.
Cat II for most SC homes and retail; Cat III/IV for schools, assembly, and essential facilities.
B, C, or coastal D, then length, width, mean roof height, and roof pitch.
C&C and MWFRS pressures, each with a plain-English driver note.
PDF, Excel, or schedule .xlsx with the ASCE 7-22 references included.
No paid testimonials — defensible facts only.
Risk Category II design wind speeds in the Charleston metro generally land in the 140 to 150 mph band under ASCE 7-22.
Peninsula ZIPs (29401, 29403) and the barrier islands trend toward the top; sites west of I-526 step down. Enter your ZIP above for the exact value.
WindLoadCalc applies the latest ASCE 7-22 — the most current, conservative wind load standard.
South Carolina building departments commonly reference an earlier ASCE 7 edition; confirm the edition your local jurisdiction requires for submittal.
Yes. SC reviewers expect openings rated to the calculated C&C pressure, and AAMA performance ratings are the common product reference.
The calculator gives you the per-opening pressure target so you can match it to an AAMA-rated product before submittal.
Both sit in the same 140 to 150 mph Risk Category II band as Charleston under ASCE 7-22. Hilton Head is in Beaufort County; Myrtle Beach is in Horry County on the Grand Strand.
Atlantic-facing oceanfront lots routinely trigger Exposure D within roughly 600 ft of open water.
Hugo struck just north of Charleston on September 21–22, 1989 as a Category 4 with surge over 20 feet at Bull's Bay.
The rebuild centralized SC code under a statewide council, raised coastal design wind speeds, and tightened roof-uplift and opening-protection rules. Today's SCBC traces back to it.
Often, yes. Most Upstate sites run base speeds of 105 to 115 mph. But ridge, hilltop, and escarpment lots in the Blue Ridge foothills can require a topographic factor (Kzt).
For an exposed ridge, Kzt can shift design pressure more than the base wind speed itself. The calculator flags special wind regions when your ZIP triggers one.
South Carolina permit submittals above the residential exemption need a SC-licensed Professional Engineer to seal them. WindLoadCalc produces the calculation package and per-opening schedule for that review.
Our network provides PE sign-and-seal in all 50 states, including South Carolina, when you need a seal.
One ZIP, one ASCE 7-22 calc, one permit-ready Engineering Report — from a Sullivan's Island beach house to a Greenville ridge home.
Last updated June 27, 2026. WindLoadCalc applies the latest ASCE 7-22 — the most current wind load standard. South Carolina building departments commonly reference an earlier ASCE 7 edition; confirm the edition your local jurisdiction requires. Online since 2006; among the first wind load calculators ever published.